Hi,

When I first saw the solution to the 340 today, I thought, "Ho-hum. Z did not even tell us his name lol." But then I thought about it more and it seems he may have revealed something important about himself in the 340 after all.

First off, I want to point out a linguistic quirk I noticed in the solution. He says, "…I hope you have having lots of fun IN trying to figure out…" A lot of people would not include the word "in" in that context. This might be something to look for in the writings of the real Z.

OK. So I think I won’t be shouted down when I say that Z went through a lot of trouble to hide this message from us. I hope that the fact that it took 51 years to solve the code serves as proof of that notion. And what does he go on about in this message he may not really have wanted us to see? Slaves in the afterlife and Paradice.

I could have been persuaded that slaves in the afterlife was a concept that Z glommed onto but in which he really didn’t take much stock when push came to shove. But now? It seems that this concept was front and center in his mind to the point where he felt that the reason others fear death is that they have not saved up enough slaves to serve them in Paradice. But he has. By hook or by crook, this is the main focus of his 340 message. And who is likely to have been aware of an invested in such a concept?

One possibility is someone of Norse ancestr,y who was heavily influenced by the Vikings and their culture.

When Jim and I met with KQ in 2006, I asked him about his ties to Norse culture and he went out of his way to tell me it was pretty irrelevant to him. But then I started learning things. For instance, when KQ turned 90 in 2009, in an article that is still available on sfgate by Scott Ostler (7/29/09). In the article, Ostler said that Qvale "dressed like a Viking and danced the night away." And in the 2012 book, Lunches With Mr. Q, it says that over the years KQ and his wife had hosted parties where people dressed up in traditional Norwegian clothes. Norse culture rears its head once again.

So while the solution to the 340 does not single Qvale out, it certainly continues to point the needle in his direction, as opposed to suspects with no known and provable ties to the concept of slaves in the afterlife.

Mike

I am no expert in cultural anthropology, but I don’t know of any analogue in Norse culture where one collects slaves in the afterlife by murdering people. A slave in Valhalla in Norse culture was first the slave of his/her master in their life. The master died, so the slave commits suicide to accompany his/her master to the afterlife and continue to serve him/her. This is nothing like what Zodiac portrayed.

How important Norse culture was to Qvale is a matter of opinion. Also, I would not that he states in 2006 that Norse culture is not important to him. But in 2012, he wears a viking costume. Is it possible that he told the truth at the time but later decided to wear a Norse costume? Could his ancestry have taken on greater significance to him closer to his death? Would "ties to his Norse culture" include wearing a viking costume at a party? I don’t know because your line of questioning was so broad its hard to pin him down on anything.

Hi,

Boy, I love this stuff. I am the Rodney Dangerfield of the Zodiac case. I don’t get no respect. I find a guy who wrote the only letters ever known to have been written by a Z suspect in the history of the case on Monarch sized paper and people pearl-clutch and say, "Oh. But did he use Monarch sized paper in the 1960s?" I find a guy who looked like the sketch and people say that the eyewitnesses needed to have 20/10 vision, not 20/20, to see the details of the killer that night. And when I sent Lindsey a photo of KQ to prove to him that KQ did have short hair and wore horn-rimmed glasses in the 1960s, I needed to send an entire photo line up to him. I find a guy who lived close to the Stine murder scene and people say he lived TOO close and everyone knows that Z would not have killed THAT close to his home. I find the only guy who was spoken to by the police after any of the Z murders and who wrote on Monarch sized paper and who looked like the sketch and people say he belonged on the street because he lived there after KQ dragged me to SF and said that not only didn’t he recall being spoken to by the police for likely the only time in his life but that he should have been in England that night (hint: he wasn’t) and that he never even walked his dog. But he "belonged" on the streets of PH nonetheless. I get one of the top profilers in the world to not only weigh in on the case but also to say I’ve solved it and suddenly Walter is no better than any other profiler. They are all the same. Then people regale us with their own profiles of Z despite having zero ability or credentials for doing a profile. But since profiles are done weekly on TV shows, they assume anyone can do it. I interview the Robbins kids and Fouke. I learn directly from their mouths that Lindsey and Fouke laughed at the possibility that someone as large as Allen was Z and people propose someone who was even bigger and fatter than ALA as Z. I find a guy whose Norse background explains the concept of slaves in the afterlife and someone says that there is nothing in Norse culture about killing people to make them slaves. They were ALREADY slaves in this life. But that is a false assumption. Some of these living slaves were apparently killed after the death of their master. Why? To accompany them to the afterlife so they can be his slaves there, too. In the book, Lunches With Mr. Q, the author states that KQ held Norwegian themed parties where everyone dressed up in traditional Norse costumes. KQ reportedly, in an article about his 90th birthday in the Chron (July 2009), dressed up like a Viking and danced the night away. But don’t worry. That was just a one-off. He really didn’t care a hoot about his Norse background. There are articles from the 1940s in which he seemed to care about Norse food/culture. And oh yeah, he was senile in 2006 when he spoke to me but then he was learning to play the (88 key) piano in 2009, opened a new business venture in 2010 and was able to run across a busy street in 2012 like a football player. But he was frail and senile in 2006 and would never lie to me. In fact, the very fact that he was willing to meet with me proves he had nothing to hide.

How about this thought: When Z shot Stine he felt (or even saw?) the spray of blood from the shot hit him and either decided right then and there to take Stine’s shirttail, which would have been clean, to wipe his face off and then got the idea to smear more blood on it and send piece of it to the police. Or he planned to take the shirttail all along and while he was walking away he simply used it to clean blood off of himself. So when he got home he didn’t have this big clean up to do that people are trying to say would have kept him off the streets for so long that he would not have been back out in time to meet up with Pelissetti.

One other thing: I have always assumed that it was very obvious the way Z behaved during his walk away from the crime scene that he did not think anyone had seen him. Rebecca said in 2003 that the man around the cab never looked up at her house and never saw her. The way Z casually walked away from the scene and stayed on Jackson Street despite the beckoning darkness at the end of Cherry and then allowed himself to have his guard down so much that Fouke was able to surprise him from the FRONT reinforces that notion. Then after Fouke either slows down and takes a look at him OR speaks to him and drives away, Z is now convinced beyond any doubt that they are not looking for someone who looks like him and that the idiots are looking for a black guy. So why, tell me, would KQ not have come back out on the streets given all those facts and what he experienced in his walk?

I just moved to Atlantic City, NJ and to make an analogy, I will play KQ as a pat hand in this game anytime.

Hi,

Boy, I love this stuff. I am the Rodney Dangerfield of the Zodiac case. I don’t get no respect. I find a guy who wrote the only letters ever known to have been written by a Z suspect in the history of the case on Monarch sized paper and people pearl-clutch and say, "Oh. But did he use Monarch sized paper in the 1960s?" I find a guy who looked like the sketch and people say that the eyewitnesses needed to have 20/10 vision, not 20/20, to see the details of the killer that night. And when I sent Lindsey a photo of KQ to prove to him that KQ did have short hair and wore horn-rimmed glasses in the 1960s, I needed to send an entire photo line up to him. I find a guy who lived close to the Stine murder scene and people say he lived TOO close and everyone knows that Z would not have killed THAT close to his home. I find the only guy who was spoken to by the police after any of the Z murders and who wrote on Monarch sized paper and who looked like the sketch and people say he belonged on the street because he lived there after KQ dragged me to SF and said that not only didn’t he recall being spoken to by the police for likely the only time in his life but that he should have been in England that night (hint: he wasn’t) and that he never even walked his dog. But he "belonged" on the streets of PH nonetheless. I get one of the top profilers in the world to not only weigh in on the case but also to say I’ve solved it and suddenly Walter is no better than any other profiler. They are all the same. Then people regale us with their own profiles of Z despite having zero ability or credentials for doing a profile. But since profiles are done weekly on TV shows, they assume anyone can do it. I interview the Robbins kids and Fouke. I learn directly from their mouths that Lindsey and Fouke laughed at the possibility that someone as large as Allen was Z and people propose someone who was even bigger and fatter than ALA as Z. I find a guy whose Norse background explains the concept of slaves in the afterlife and someone says that there is nothing in Norse culture about killing people to make them slaves. They were ALREADY slaves in this life. But that is a false assumption. Some of these living slaves were apparently killed after the death of their master. Why? To accompany them to the afterlife so they can be his slaves there, too. In the book, Lunches With Mr. Q, the author states that KQ held Norwegian themed parties where everyone dressed up in traditional Norse costumes. KQ reportedly, in an article about his 90th birthday in the Chron (July 2009), dressed up like a Viking and danced the night away. But don’t worry. That was just a one-off. He really didn’t care a hoot about his Norse background. There are articles from the 1940s in which he seemed to care about Norse food/culture. And oh yeah, he was senile in 2006 when he spoke to me but then he was learning to play the (88 key) piano in 2009, opened a new business venture in 2010 and was able to run across a busy street in 2012 like a football player. But he was frail and senile in 2006 and would never lie to me. In fact, the very fact that he was willing to meet with me proves he had nothing to hide.

How about this thought: When Z shot Stine he felt (or even saw?) the spray of blood from the shot hit him and either decided right then and there to take Stine’s shirttail, which would have been clean, to wipe his face off and then got the idea to smear more blood on it and send piece of it to the police. Or he planned to take the shirttail all along and while he was walking away he simply used it to clean blood off of himself. So when he got home he didn’t have this big clean up to do that people are trying to say would have kept him off the streets for so long that he would not have been back out in time to meet up with Pelissetti.

One other thing: I have always assumed that it was very obvious the way Z behaved during his walk away from the crime scene that he did not think anyone had seen him. Rebecca said in 2003 that the man around the cab never looked up at her house and never saw her. The way Z casually walked away from the scene and stayed on Jackson Street despite the beckoning darkness at the end of Cherry and then allowed himself to have his guard down so much that Fouke was able to surprise him from the FRONT reinforces that notion. Then after Fouke either slows down and takes a look at him OR speaks to him and drives away, Z is now convinced beyond any doubt that they are not looking for someone who looks like him and that the idiots are looking for a black guy. So why, tell me, would KQ not have come back out on the streets given all those facts and what he experienced in his walk?

I just moved to Atlantic City, NJ and to make an analogy, I will play KQ as a pat hand in this game anytime.

Calm down. No one thinks you’re a joke. (at least I don’t). You did good work. But it’s not enough to solve a virtually impossible to solve case.

So, regarding the timeframe, the walk from Washington & Cherry to 3636 Jackson Street takes about 4 minutes according to google maps. Let’s say Qvale is quick and shaves 30 seconds of that. How long would it take him to get to his house, change, clean up, hide the evidence, find the leash, find the dog, and walk back outside? It would probably take me 20-30 minutes. I doubt he was in a hurry. So, you need 23-33 minutes from the time he leaves the scene. I am not saying that is impossible. It is just a tight timeframe. Maybe it happened that way.

As to the lineup, showing Lindsey one picture is a way to influence him. A photo lineup is better. That is how LE typically does it.

As to KQ lying to you, it’s possible that he did. It is also possible that he just didn’t remember. Let’s go with lying. You still don’t know why he lied. Lying doesn’t make a killer, it only means he has something to hide. What could that be? I have not the slightest clue. But, maybe he told his wife he was out of town that weekend but instead he was at home with another woman. I don’t know. But my point is that lying does not make him a killer.

Even if Walter is the best profiler ever, he can still be wrong. His profile is as good as the assumptions upon which it is based. I am certain that he has been wrong before.

As to the slaves in the afterlife, I am not aware of any tenet of Norse culture where one acquires slaves in the afterlife by murdering others. If I am wrong, feel free to correct me. Also, why the term Paradice instead of Valhalla? Paradice sounds like a Christian concept (Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be with him this day in Paradise).

If KQ bought one pack of monarch paper in the 1990s, how does that prove he was the Zodiac in the late 60s? Using monarch paper in the 90s is evidence of nothing in the Zodiac case. Does using monarch paper in the 90s demonstrate that he used it at an earlier date? Correct me if I am wrong.

Minnesota Vikings fans dress up in Viking garb far more frequently that KQ ever did…are they all Zodiac Killers, too? I am not sure that wearing a costume at a party is strong evidence of strong ties to his cultural heritage. But I could be wrong. You’re trying to equate wearing a viking costume with knowing the intricacies of old Norse runes…these are not the same at all. Because we don’t know that Zodiac sent the "Sla" letter, it’s hard to tie that to Qvale.

If I were going to continue your research, here is where I would start: 1) look for unsolved murders anywhere where Qvale lived prior to moving to SF; 2) look for unsolved murders that occurred at any location where Qvale travelled for business when he was in town. If he is a serial killer, you’ll find something. I will put $10k on it right now.

1) look for unsolved murders anywhere where Qvale lived prior to moving to SF; 2) look for unsolved murders that occurred at any location where Qvale travelled for business when he was in town. If he is a serial killer, you’ll find something. I will put $10k on it right now.

Even if serial murders were found to be commited by Qvale in locations where he traveled for work, and he was proved to be a serial killer, it certainly doesn’t make him Zodiac. I would hold on to your 10K. Almost every town has unsolved murders in this country.

If he is a serial killer, you’ll find something. I will put $10k on it right now.

Mike, I believe you can trust him!

1) look for unsolved murders anywhere where Qvale lived prior to moving to SF; 2) look for unsolved murders that occurred at any location where Qvale travelled for business when he was in town. If he is a serial killer, you’ll find something. I will put $10k on it right now.

Even if serial murders were found to be commited by Qvale in locations where he traveled for work, and he was proved to be a serial killer, it certainly doesn’t make him Zodiac. I would hold on to your 10K. Almost every town has unsolved murders in this country.

It wouldn’t be definitive proof. However, it would make the circumstantial case against Qvale stronger. At this point, Qvale is dead. There isn’t any reasonable way to prove that he was the Zodiac. You’re not going to find some witness somewhere that hasn’t come forward already who puts Qvale at LB on 9/27/69 or at LHR on 12/20/68. So, the best you can do is make a case that he is a killer. Finding unsolved murders everywhere he as been would go a long way to do that (assuming the murders have some similarities to the Z murders). The one thing that has always bothered me about Qvale is that we have EXACTLY ZERO instances of a serial killer who starts killing at 49 and stops one year later. Correct me if I am wrong. If Qvale were a serial killer, he probably started earlier in his life and we just don’t know it.